Feynman Lectures On Gravitation

by Richard P. Feynman

The Feynman Lectures on Gravitation are based on notes prepared during a course on gravitational physics that Richard Feynman taught at Caltech during the 1962-63 academic year. For several years prior to these lectures, Feynman thought long and hard about the fundamental problems in gravitational physics, yet he published very little. These lectures represent a useful record of his viewpoints and some of his insights into gravity and its application to cosmology, superstars, wormholes, and gravitational waves at that particular time. The lectures also contain a number of fascinating digressions and asides on the foundations of physics and other issues.Characteristically, Feynman took an untraditional non-geometric approach to gravitation and general relativity based on the underlying quantum aspects of gravity. Hence, these lectures contain a unique pedagogical account of the development of Einstein's general theory of relativity as the inevitable result of the demand for a self-consistent theory of a massless spin-2 field (the graviton) coupled to the energy-momentum tensor of matter. This approach also demonstrates the intimate and fundamental connection between gauge invariance and the principle of equivalence.

Genres: Physics, Science, Nonfiction, Reference

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as work in particle physics (he proposed the parton model). For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, together with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime and after his death, Feynman became one of the most publicly known scientists in the world.

He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing, and introducing the concept of nanotechnology (creation of devices at the molecular scale). He held the Richard Chace Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at Caltech.

-wikipedia

See Ричард Фейнман

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't have a clue what was going on in this book for the most part: I'm much better equiped to tackle it these days and should re-read it.

[Tue Le · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now of mainly historical interest only. Feynman gave these lectures back in the early 1960s, just before the start of the Golden Age of general relativity. Unsurprisingly, then, while some of his ideas are surprisingly prescient, others turn out to be naive or outdated. But as usual, the great physicist gave the subject of gravitation his best shot, approaching it from the point of view of quantum field theory instead of geometry, which is the traditional entryway. In particular, he treated the field of a massless spin-2 particle, that is, a graviton, and from there derive general relativity. You could tell that he was frustrated at his lack of success in this endeavor, at least when compared to the glory that was quantum electrodynamics. Tellingly, not all lectures were transcribed. In any case, for anyone interested in the history of physics, the preface, written by John Preskill and Kip Thorne, both accomplished gravitational physicists in their own right, is a fine gem.

[Jalaluddin Abdullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked especially the amplitude to emit gravitons, formula 16.3.4, page 214, and 16.3.5, page 214, the probability of a graviton emission per disintegration. In these two examples, Feynman linked an allegedly abstract particle, the 'quantum' graviton, with particle decay phenomenology. This is the strength of this volume. I.e. exact calculations. The negative, if you can call it that, is that Feynman has no coverage of the CMBR in this book. I.e. he COULD NOT POSSIBLY know of it. The book is dated, badly dated, in parts, while other calculations interrelate with amazingly contemporary issues. I.e., if one picks and chooses, many of the calculations are very contemporary in terms of what they say, albeit, that Feynman did ALL of this with NO knowledge of contemporary cosmology. and Inflation.
My gripe is that some of the ideas are old hat, but others are still amazingly pertinent. In all, considering the year, i.e. this 50 year old reference is a gem.

[Rhonald Lua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time to borrow and try to read the book. The first time was when I was still in grad school at the University of Minnesota. I understood very little from the book then, but this second time, after learning about the Linear Field Equations for Gravitation from Hans Ohanian's book (borrowed from Rice U), I understood much better what Feynman did. I also recognized his QFT-inspired treatment while browsing MTW and Zee's QFT in a Nutshell. This made me embark on a more serious study of QFT. I have already read sections from Zee, Coleman, Srednicki, Banks, etc. I keep a notebook dedicated to writing down interesting things I've learned and understood about QFT.

[Thomas Atwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compilation of edited lectures given by Feynman in 1962-63. Although it is quite dated, it sparkles with the insights typical of Feynman. I read it in conjunction with reading Carroll, and it provided a useful experience.

[Skymeson Rolnick]

Great book by Feynman. Its his actual lectures as recorded by graduate students. It captures the Feynmanesk way of thinking although a lot of his ideas were not correct.